I found the following email quite interesting as I have decided to let my Circuit Studio subscription expire as I don't see a reason to update it given what has been done to it so far - no significant improvements and they have further limited the Design Rules and Constraints Editor in regards to the rule wizard.
I have bolded the interesting part as shown below. Looking around it seems a lot of software with upkeep licenses do it this way as it helps in paying for the development of new features/bug fixes should one chooses to renew as doing so will give the person the benefit of those new features/bug fixes.
Just a quick courtesy email to let you know our records indicate your CircuitStudio support and maintenance has expired. As I’m sure you will be aware, the benefits of maintenance include:
· Access to direct technical support (software@element14.com) and our regional technical support desks (telephone, live chat and email)
· Software updates including new features and bug fixes
If you renew now your support and maintenance term will commence from when you order and not be backdated to the expiry of your current contact, you will not lose out and don’t need to pay extra to back date.
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Prior to purchasing Circuit Studio, I had been using FreePCB to do layout so I went in expecting features and polish that would be worth the price. Things that I have found in Circuit Studio which bring a definite advantage include things such as arbitrary rotation of components and the design rules editor. Things that are lacking in Circuit Studio, which FreePCB does better, include netlist management, custom hotkeys, and the footprint wizard. I didn't like the schematic layout of Circuit Studio and actually drew my schematics in Orcad Capture then imported the project into Circuit Studio prior to layout as Circuit Studio doesn't seem to support importing netlists for whatever reason.
Given the limiting feature-set of Circuit Studio and what has been done so far I don't think it is worth the money. I guess I'll be going to Orcad as there is a good deal on it (Schematic and PCB package) and I am more familiar with it as I use it for work.